Natural Killer T (NKT) cells are immune cells that possess properties of both natural killer cells and T cells. While NKT cells are known to eliminate cancer cells, the antigen that activates these cells has long remained unknown.

Sho Yamasaki (CiDER/RIMD/CAMaD/IFReC, Osaka University) and the research group discovered that α-GalCer, which was found in marine organisms, also exists in mammalian bodies. They showed that some cancer cells take up and present α-GalCer as the antigen, leading to their efficient elimination by NKT cells.
(online publishing in Jornal of Experimental Medicine on Dec. 20, 2024)

Contact

Prof. Sho Yamasaki

yamasakibiken.osaka-u.ac.jp

Molecular Immunology